


A Toast for the New Year

by TeaRoses



Category: Hellsing
Genre: Alcohol, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-03-08
Updated: 2010-03-08
Packaged: 2017-10-07 19:30:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/68435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeaRoses/pseuds/TeaRoses
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Walter and Seras ring in the New Year together, but Walter has a bit too much to drink.  Gonzoverse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Toast for the New Year

Walter Dornez opened his eyes to the morning sun, then quickly decided that was a mistake. His eyelashes hurt. He was certain that sitting up would be an equally bad idea, and breathing was not turning out all that well either.

There was a knock at the door. At least, he was fairly certain the noise wasn't in his head. "Yes?" he murmured weakly.

The door swung open, and Seras Victoria stood there, looking bright and cheerful in her uniform. "How are you doing, Walter?"

"I'm fine," he said with a certain lack of conviction. "Why do you ask?"

"You're always up and about long before this hour! Sir Integral sent me to make sure you weren't ill."

Seras plopped herself down on the side of Walter's bed and he uttered a small pained groan.

"See, I told you you're not well. Do you have a fever?"

She pressed her small cool hand to his forehead. It felt rather soothing, actually. But she soon removed it.

"Well, you're warmer than me, but everybody is these days, aren't they."

"Honestly, Miss Seras, I'm perfectly fine."

She drew a thermometer out of her pocket. "Now, say ahhh..."

He almost opened his mouth for her before he realized how ridiculous this was.

"Sir Integral would never tell you to come to my room and check on me."

"No," replied Seras.

"And you know perfectly well I'm not ill."

She nodded. "I was pretty certain it was just all that alcohol."

"So you're up here torturing an old man with a hangover."

"I'm sorry." She was laughing when she said it, though. "But I can't help wondering about some of the things you said last night."

"Er... well... I don't remember everything I may have said," he murmured evasively.

"So it's not true that you sold the Hellsing family silver and bought pornography with the money?"

"Very funny."

"Then you do remember."

With a sinking feeling, Walter closed his eyes. He remembered everything about New Years' Eve, and now he was being called to account for it.

Integra had gone to a party hosted by a family of the Round Table, and the soldiers were having a celebration of their own. Walter found himself without responsibilities, and since the house staff had the evening off, he also found himself alone. Listening for the chimes of Big Ben didn't seem especially appealing, but right then neither did sleep. In the end he stayed on the couch with a bottle of bourbon, watching old war movies. It had been a long time since he had done any serious drinking, and after three drinks he was already feeling rather relaxed. He looked up in surprise when Seras Victoria entered the room.

She was wearing a short cream-colored dress, even more revealing than her uniform was. A gold pendant drew his eyes to her chest... or at least that was the excuse he used to keep staring in that direction. Eventually he caught himself and looked back at her face.

"Are you going to a party, or are you already on your way back from one?" he asked.

"Neither, actually. Where would I go, the vampire's ball?"

Her voice sounded bitter, and Walter felt a bit guilty. "Oh dear. I am sorry..."

She smiled. "It's all right. Speaking of vampires, do you happen to know where my master is?"

"He went to Sir Preston's house with Sir Integral," he replied.

"She let him escort her to a party?" she asked.

"No, he'll just lurk in the shrubbery and frighten people," sighed Walter.

"I had no idea my master was so easily amused."

"You'd be surprised. But did you need him for something?"

"No, not at all," she said brightly. "In fact I'm just as glad that he's out of the way." She gestured to the couch. "Mind if I join you?"

Walter slid over a bit, wondering why she wanted to keep company with him. She sat down a bit too closely for Walter's complete comfort. The short skirt rode up her legs a bit when she sat, and he was treated to a lovely view of her thighs. She was wearing perfume. How long had it been since he had enjoyed that kind of scent?

He looked toward the television, wanting to ask her if she was familiar with the film but suddenly blanking out on the title. Gesturing to the bourbon instead, he asked her if she would like some. She nodded. Fortunately he had brought several glasses on the tray with the water decanter, as the habits of a butler were hard to break.

Warily, he poured himself more also. It had been quite a while since he had exceeded three drinks in one evening, but if he didn't join her she might decide he didn't want her there.

Seras took a sip as Walter searched his mind for a topic of conversation. "So, how are the new recruits doing?" he ventured finally.

"I think you need to institute an intelligence test," she replied.

"Really?"

"One of them nearly got himself killed trying to find out if Alucard is really bulletproof, and another one is already out on medical leave from trying to carry the Harkonnen. Two of them asked me to bite them and three more asked me to show them my... er... you can guess the rest of that sentence I imagine."

Walter laughed. "That last is highly improper but I'm not certain it counts as unintelligent."

Had he really said that? This fourth glass had certainly been a mistake. Nevertheless, he drank the rest of it during the subsequent awkward silence. He could remember being good at small talk with women; what had happened?

"You got old," he thought to himself. "Too old to be dwelling on the fact that she's such a lovely young woman."

As his too-relaxed mind struggled for a conversational topic that had nothing to do with her breasts, Seras finally spoke.

"So, how have things been with your... work?" She didn't know that much about what his job really entailed, because no one at Hellsing did.

"I've been doing preliminary research on various activities in London which may be connected with vampires," he said.

"And what have you found out?"

"That running the words 'sex club' through an internet search engine is rather inadvisable."

"Well, as long as it was only for research purposes."

Seras grinned, then licked her lips. If he didn't know better, he might think she was being deliberately provocative. Was it the alcohol? Both their glasses were empty. He refilled them, trying to keep his mostly water this time.

"We should play 'I Never'," said Seras. "But I suppose ideally you need more than two people."

"I Never?" Walter asked.

"You know, the drinking game. One person says something they've never done, and whoever has takes a drink. And then the person who drank has to come up with something. Like if I said, 'I've never made an enormous gun,' you'd have to take a drink."

"Oh, then if I said... I said..."

"Something you've never done..."

"Right," said Walter. "It's just that I'm having trouble thinking of anything."

Seras laughed. The conversation derailed into pleasant but rather pointless topics after that. They went through their favorite films, though Walter refused to believe Seras was that fond of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. From there they went into favorite television shows, music, and the top five most annoying current habits of Vlad the Impaler.

About twenty minutes before midnight, Walter found that they were arguing.

"No," he insisted. "A Star Destroyer has so much more firepower."

"But the Enterprise--"

"You're putting too much stock in maneuverability."

He stumbled a bit over that last word, and realized that he had had far too much to drink.

Seras raised an eyebrow and said "Two truths and a lie."

He knew that one. He would have to guess which thing she said was a lie. And come up with one himself.

"You first," he said.

"All right." She sounded brighter than humanly possible after downing two strong drinks so quickly. But that was only logical as she wasn't human.

After a moment's thought, she said, "Number One: I've never been out of England in my entire life. Number Two: I was once thrown out of an orphanage for starting a fire in a rubbish bin. Number Three: I've always had a deep and abiding passion for older men."

She was looking into his eyes when she said that last, and he wasn't certain he'd have the nerve to answer.

"I'm certain you never started a fire as a child."

"You're correct, I didn't!"

"And you've never even been to France?" That was of course not the truth he wanted to ask about, but he still had some decorum left even in his drunken state.

"No. It's a long story, but mostly has to do with orphanage life."

"We could go," he said.

She grinned, and even with fangs she was devastatingly beautiful. He knew far too many truths about himself, and a few too many lies as well, but he tried to keep this light.

"Number One: My real name isn't Walter. Number Two: I haven't been out on a date in twenty years. Number Three: I'm the one who made your uniform skirt that short."

Her eyes widened. "I thought it must be you!"

"Maybe I'm lying."

"Your real name must be Walter. You even look like a Walter."

He laughed. "Indeed it is."

"Is it really Dornez though?"

"No, but I'm not supposed to tell."

"Twenty years is too long," she said.

"Well, I have my hobbies." That sounded vaguely wrong. He could hear the soldiers cheering the New Year now, and to his surprise she leaned over and kissed him on the lips.

"I think you're one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen," he said.

"Is that the truth or a lie?"

"The truth."

He bent his head to kiss her again, but just then he heard the door open. Alucard stood there, smirking as usual.

"Well, what are you two up to?" he asked.

"None of your damn business." When he said that, Walter suddenly realized how hard the alcohol was hitting him.

Seras hid her smile.

"You're drunk, Angel of Death," said Alucard, still not angry.

"Yes, I am. And you're rude."

Seras gasped, but Alucard only laughed.

"Integra needs you, if you can walk that far."

He wasn't certain that he could, but this wasn't the first time he had needed to serve the Hellsings while he was under the influence. Holding his head high, he bid Seras a good evening and walked down the hall as steadily as possible.

His business with Sir Integral was over quickly, and she only gave him a few strange looks. But afterwards he was already regretting what had happened with Seras, and needed sleep badly.

And now here he was, awake again, a bit ashamed, and extremely hung over. And Seras seemed to want to make fun of him. Maybe he deserved it.

"I need to apologize for..."

She gently pressed her fingers to his lips. "No, you don't."

"Do you really think I am beautiful?" she went on to ask.

"Of course I do!"

"Even when you're sober?"

"Now you're being silly," he protested.

"Well, you don't look very happy to say it."

"I'm not sure if I could be properly described as happy right now, for reasons you would understand if you had ever been seriously drunk while you were still human. But I assure you I am sincere."

"I suppose I'll leave you to rest then. It's about my bedtime anyway."

Walter let his head fall back on to the pillow. She was never going to forgive him, was she? Bourbon was invented by an evil conspiracy.

When he looked at Seras's face, she seemed almost disappointed that he was letting her go. What did she want from him?

'Thirty years ago if a pretty girl came to your bedroom you would have had a good guess what she was after,' he thought to himself. 'When did you give up?'

"If I kissed you right now, it might be a bad idea for what's left of my nervous system," he said.

"That bad?"

"Yes. But since it's your bedtime..." Sliding over in the bed, he patted the mattress next to him. "There's room. If you like."

Seras lifted his hand and kissed it very gently, with a wink that implied that she would repeat the process elsewhere when he woke up. She lay down beside him, closing her eyes, and the pain in his head now seemed a very small price to pay.


End file.
